The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-24

ton plenty of clubs down in Black creek
and the hawks and crows and the owls, and
perhaps, other birds that could not be law
tully taken that he caught with various
sorts or snareS, in the setting of which he
was an adept, he managed TO keep his stock
in fine condition.
About this time the neighbors learned that
the stockade was serving the double pur-
pose of keeping the skunks in and the foxes
out Of all the enemies of the skunk none
is SO destructive as the fox, which is espe-
clally fond of the young skunks. According
TO Jerry all the foxes living within many
miles had smelled out his skunkerie. There
was nothing wonderful about this, the
nelghbors said, but the foxes were attracted
by the smell as much as the neighborS were
repelled. Every evening Jerry set two or
Three traps of various kinds close under 4he
outside of the stockade, and it was rare
occasion when morning did not find at least
one fox in the traps. They would come to
the stockade and, finding it pretty high TO
jump over would go trotting around the
enclosure seeking hole to get through and
thus were easily taken. The skins were
valueless at this time OF the year, but the
skunks eat the fox meat with just as much
relish as the fox would have exhibited in
eating the skunks.
Or the docility, intelligence and playful
ness of his stock, particularly of the younger
portion of it, Jerry told most wonderful
stories. They became as tame and COM
panionable as kittens jerry handled them
with impunity, kept several in his house and
even taught them such tricks as standing
on their hind legs to beg for food, jumping
over stick and so on; but not many of the
neighbors could make boast of having seen
the tricks done. The sSunks might not use
their peculiar powers against Jerry, but a
man must needs have Jerry's peculiar tastes
to be able to approach within forty rods of
his skunkerie
Jerry. indeed, said that skunks were Just
as good ratters as ferrets and much more
companionable, and he offered to furnish
the neighbors with skunks that had had the
offensive glands cut away, rendering them
as free from offensive smells as kittens, but
the neighbors would not believe him and
considering that the bite of skunk is fatal,
it is probably just as we'll that they didn't
take any of them. The truth is that moth
ing but the fact that Jerry had rid all the
adjoining farms of foxes as we'll as skunks
prevented the neighbors, who were occa-
Sionally obliged to drive along the road
where Jerry lived, from complaining to the
authorities and having MIN abated.
What with his breeding and trapping
when winter came the old man had upward
VI lUO SNuIkS, all lI1e anu n6StlUlN, dDU
there was a very excellent prospect that he
would increase the number tivefold by an
other winter and would then be able to real
ize on his peculiar stock. Skins were worth
40c each on the average, and the returns
that would come from the sales of 800 or 4Ot
skunk skins which, in all probability Jerry
could spare by the time another winter SET
in, would place him on cash basis that
would make him the envy Of the entire
country side. A yearly income of $50 casf
is something of Importance up this way. II
is not to be supposed that even so much
wealth as that would have admitted Jerry
into Ohio society; social preiudices are quite
as strong in the North Woods as on Fifth
avenue, and society here in the matter Of
perfumes draws the line at mephitiS me
phiticd, but the possession of such an in
come would have insured the old man from
being regarded wholly as public nuisance
and it is quite sure that the talk about hi
being crazy had grown infrequent- He wa
destined. however, never to enjoy any re
turn from his enterprise.
Along in the latter part of October Nc
Kenzie noticed that for two or three day
in succession there was no smoke arising
from the old mans chimney, and finally
after receiving no answer to his calls from
the road he went to the door and knocked
There was no reply, and when the door wa:
opened-it was never locked, for no THE
could be found bold enough to enter such 1
place when guarded by such batteries as thu
old man kept-the shanty was found to b.
deserted, except by two or three of the ole
mans pets. Old Jerry Little had disap
peared even more Inysteriously than he haC
come, and where he went to is matter Of
conjecture to this day. Mckenzie got {
couple of the neighbors and made search
about the place, thinking the old man nigh
have taken sick while visiting his traps, but
no trace of him was found anywhere unles
pair of old boots and the remnants of {
pair of trousers and shirt in the skunkerit
were traces Mckenzie believes and main
tains to this day that the old man died sud
denly in the big pen he had built and wa:
devOured by the skunks, who dragged sucl
portions of his bones as they could not eat
into their burrows. Nobody was brave
enough to investigate the burrows unit
after the cold weather ana snow had driver
the skunks into their alternating state, but
at that time nothing but lot OF skunkl
was found. Mckenzie says the skunks eat
bones and all. He also believes that the ole
man was bitten by one of the animals anC
died as every one does who suffers from {
skunk bite. The probability is that he was
simply crazy and wandered away
The guides believe that breeding the
skunks, an animal that would multiply like
the rabbit but for the enemies it has, would
be profitable business, but they say thai
no amount of money however large, no
even the possible $500 or $500 year thai
might be made out of it, could induce then
to try it.